22 October 2017

Lucky Malice - Misfit

Lucky Malice are a Norwegian
Riot Grrrrl, Feminist Punk band who have been going since 2004. From
reading their website and Facebook, they have a great work ethic and run on an
DIY principal that is admirable. They are also a band who are not to be
fucked with, they hold their principles to their heart and they are going to
say no to anything that isn't to their liking. They are signed to
Tonehjulet Kräftpest records and that is about all I know, so I will look at Misfit.
Misfit was released in recorded at the end of 2016, released in April
2017 digitally, it was released on physical formats on 10th October.
It was recorded at Rockehuset, Halden, with Simen Følstad Nilsen as a
technician and mastering handled by Hans Uhre. As I went into this review
without prior knowledge of Lucky Malice, I have no preconceptions of their
sound or style, so here are my thoughts on Misfit.

01 – IntroDoes exactly what it says on
the tin, it’s a short instrumental track that is over in less than a
minute. Decent for what it is, no more and no less.02 – Cry Wolf“Cry Wolf” blasts out of your
speakers as a strange hybrid, mixing the frantic nature of Discharge, a hint of
Echobelly meets Babes in Toyland to the vocals and then some
Wildhearts/Backyard Babies vibes as well, with a large cut of hardcore to the
mix as well. It is smash ‘n’ grab number, a short, sharp kick to your
private parts and it is better than any pop-punk out there. It’s a
brilliant opening, one that grabs your attention from the beginning and there
is so much attitude, what is there not to love here?03 – Keeping a Secret“Keeping a Secret” is another
adrenaline fuelled number, one that has some fantastic hooks, a great riff,
some heavy bass work and a drumming performance that is best described as
anarchic. It sounds like it could fall apart at any given second, but
everything is held together and give this song ragged edge that works so well
for punk music.04 – No Borders“No Borders” is a politically
changed punk number, talking about how borders are not helping keep people
safe, but that the ongoing nationalism movement is creating a powder keg of
fear. It is hard hitting, straight to the point and it also sounds
fantastic. A top-quality song, with a thought provoking message as well.05 – Longest Finger“Longest Finger” finds Lucky
Malice in full flight, it is a sub-two-minute punk anthem which having contempt
for some people who are serving themselves, instead of the rest of the world, so
they get the middle finger as a sign of contempt. I love this, it has
that punk spirit and manic energy that is sometimes missing from Punk these
days, what a rush!06 – Ruins“Ruins” is a rollercoaster ride
of Punk furry, one that keeps up the momentum of the album and does not give
you a moment to collect your thoughts. It is a great piece of music, it
leaves you in no doubt about their thoughts about how they are being
treat. Lucky Malice are in a dark mood on this song, one which is not
afraid to speak the truth. A perfect piece of punk for me, just how it
should sound.07 – Blank SheetsSadly, each album has a song
which is not quite as good as its cousins, “Blank Sheets” is
sadly the song for me on Misfit. It is a slower number (probably
because the audience needs a rest), but being slower on this album means it is
going at hundreds of miles an hour and not thousands. Decent enough, with
another hard-hitting message about abuse and lies, but musically it’s not quite
as good as other songs.08 – SkeletonsA song about self-image and how
people are being tortured into being something that they are not, just to be
sacrificed at the altar of fashion. This song is here to stop this, this
is a solid anthem to give people some hope about just being themselves.
It is a powerful song, and it has another great riff that will make people
bounce around like their pants are on fire. It is great when you hear a
powerful message with a great piece of music, well done Lucky Malice.09 – Real Social DynamicsThis is a great feminist
anthem, it is powerful and to the point. It will make some people feel
uncomfortable, but that is how it should be. This is a fuck you to the
people who are trying to repress ladies around the world, if this upsets you
then you are part of the issue. I love this, you need punk like this to
shine a spotlight on things that matter, and it is a fantastic song. The
fact it says everything that needs to be said in just over a minute, just shows
that they are not here to fuck around.10 – NeverSung in their native language,
“Never” is a hard-hitting number about living in an abusive relationship, one
where the perfect picture taken only hides over the monster inside and the
table are going to be turned. The subject matter is meant to make you
feel uncomfortable, it’s not something that people like to confront, and it
should not be tolerated. It’s also a song that sounds fantastic, your
good & honest punk rock tune, one with a powerful statement at its heart.11 – Stormen Et SluttA song which does not hide from
mistakes, but offers support and forgiveness as well (I love the English
translations on Bandcamp, otherwise I would be clueless). It is not
without consequence this forgiveness, but it is done from the perception of an
equal and that is a powerful message. Musically it might not be my
favourite on here, it just seems to lose a bit of energy, but the message is
once again the focus here. 12 – Misfit/OutroWith a Grunge guitar tone,
“Misfit/Outro” is a quieter ending to this album than I anticipated. It’s
another powerful song, one that will sadly sound familiar to a lot of people,
but there is a fighting spirit to the song that is fantastic. I love
everything about it, it also links in to “Intro” as well, which gives this
album a circular feeling, that sort of touch is wonderful.What a short and thrilling
album! Misfit
is a fantastic Punk record, it has an old school attitude and it is up there
with the best of them for my money. It has such energy, so a raw and
powerful explosion of politics, feminism and emotions that it is hard to
ignore. You may notice I am not mentioning about their politics and
messages as much as I could during the review, this is mainly because I want
the songs to give the message once you listen to Misfit. This is because
that way, you will get the message directly from the source and it will be
delivered better than I ever could – I believe that ladies get the shitty end
of the deal all the time anyway, and I think Lucky Malice are on the button
here. I wanted to give them (and their songs) an equal platform
throughout the review, without me getting everything wrong. The message
behind the songs are more important than me trying to interpret them, I would
only fail in my interpretation of these powerful numbers, I know my own failing
points. Lucky Malice are a great band – full stop! I love their
messages, I love their attitude and I hope it empowers ladies around the
world. It is music like this which needs to be heard and hopefully it will
change a lot of people’s attitudes. Their gender for me is part of their
identity and it also means that they are capable of delivering great things,
they have created an album that has the energy of a Bad Brains & Discharge
hybrid, full of drama, powerful social messages and frantic riffs, kicking the
hell out of the subject matters and it sound glorious. I would be lying
if I said this album had the greatest production ever, but that is not what
Punk was ever supposed to be about. It was about getting the message
across, warts and all! If I was pushed to pick a downside, there is
little deviation between the songs. But if you are looking for that in a
Hardcore, kick-ass Feminist punk album, you might as well try to find truth in
a politician. I think this is a great album which has kicked its way to
my heart and will be in my top ten of the year, hopefully it will propel them
to greater heights and kick a few people along the way. 9 out of ten – Almost perfect,
almost…...Top track – Cry WolfYou can purchase Misfit from
the Tonehjulet Kräftpest Bandcamp page here.You
can purchase Misfit from Amazon here.You can visit the Lucky Malice website here.You can follow the activities of
Lucky Malice on Facebook here.You can stream
Misfit on Spotify here.You can stream Misfit from
Deezer here.You can stream Misfit on Tidal
here.

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

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Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens